Lincoln-Sudbury’s latest title a reminder of why high school sports matter

Lincoln-Sudbury senior John Herlihy raises the MIAA championship trophy high. (Dave Arnold/New England Lacrosse Journal)

QUINCY, Mass. – If the players on the Lincoln-Sudbury High team needed any extra motivation before the Massachusetts Division 1 state final against Hingham, they did not have to look very far into the stands at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“I turned around before the game even started, and I saw we had the entire fifth-grade team lined up, all the youth kids lined up, and I just locked in,” senior midfielder Johnny Herlihy said. “I was ready to go. That’s what gets us going. That’s why we play: for those kids, for this community, for everyone that has our backs, for everyone that’s believed in us. It’s amazing to see it all pan out.”

Herlihy and Co. gave the youngsters the show they wanted, as the Warriors jumped out to a rousing start and never looked back in a 16-7 win. L-S scored the game’s first seven goals, and it never felt like Hingham was a genuine threat to even things up.